Bill King Was a Raiders Icon From Behind the Mike
Bill King is a legend to longtime members of Raider Nation, even though he never played a down.
King was the radio play-by-play voice of the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders from 1966-92, meaning he was on the air when the Silver and Black were victorious in Super Bowls XI, XV, and XVIII.
In addition to his handlebar mustache and Van Dyke beard, King was known for his signature call of “Holy Toledo” for big or unusual plays when he worked games for the Raiders, Oakland Athletics, Golden State Warriors, and San Francisco Giants beginning in 1958.
There is a neon sign in right-centerfield at the Oakland Coliseum that reads “Holy Toledo” and lights up whenever a member of the A’s hits a home run or they win a game, and it did the same for a Raiders touchdown, big play, or victory before they moved to Las Vegas two seasons ago.
King might have been at his very best as the Raiders dominated the Minnesota Vikings, 32-14, in Super Bowl XI at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, when Hall of Fame quarterback Kenny “Snake” Stabler called almost every play, many at the line of scrimmage after took a look at how the Vikings were aligned on defense.
“A brilliant work of art by the master of his position,” King, a classical music buff, said of Stabler’s performance. “Jascha Heifetz never played the violin with more dexterity than Kenny Stabler is playing the Minnesota Vikings defense this afternoon in the Super Bowl at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena.”
In the closing minutes, when Hall of Fame cornerback Willie Brown intercepted a pass by Fran Tarkenton and returned it 75 yards for a touchdown that put the finishing touchdown on the victory, King chortled: “Old Man Willie, he’s going all the way.”
And when several Raiders lifted up Hall of Fame Coach John Madden and carried him off the field after the final gun, King quipped: “John Madden’s grin is from ear-to-ear, he looks like a split watermelon.”
When linebacker Rod Martin made his third pass interception against quarterback Ron Jaworski near the end of Super Bowl XV to clinch the Raiders’ 27-10 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, King’s response was: “And Rod Martin slams the door on the man they call ‘Jaws’ and the Raiders will be Super Bowl champions for the second time.”
After the Raiders pulled off the famed “Holy Roller,” in which Stabler was being sacked and intentionally made it look like he was fumbling, running back Pete Banaszak knocked the ball into the end zone and tight end Dave Casper recovered for what was ruled to be a winning touchdown, King said: “Madden is on the field and asks the referees if it’s real! ... They say, ‘Yes,’ get your big butt out of here. He does!”
King also worked as a backup to announcers Russ Hodges and Lon Simmons with the Giants from 1958-62, including when they beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in a three-game playoff for the 1962 National League championship before losing to the New York Yankees in the seventh game of the World Series.
Then he was the primary play-by-play man for the Warriors from 1962-83, including the NBA Championship season in 1974, when they surprisingly swept the favored Washington Bullets in four games.
“I think he’s one of the awesome broadcasters of all time,” Warriors Hall of Famer Barry said of King. “It’s rare to have a guy who’s that good who can do the three major sports and do them as well as he did.”
King also was the voice of the Athletics from 1981-2005, including their four-game sweep of the Giants in 1989, before he died suddenly of pulmonary embolus on October 18, 2005, at the age of 78.
For Bay Area fans of three sports, King is the ultimate Hall of Famer.
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